Entertainment in Ancient Rome
Romans worked from dawn until about noon ever day of the week.
After the
noon hour, and on holidays (there were over 120 public holidays throughout
the year), they often looked for entertainment. In their free time, Romans could
have gone to a public bath, visited the theater, saw a gladiator fight at the
Coliseum or a chariot race at the Circus Maximus. Most of these events were
free for the common Roman. In the economic good times of the empire, wealthy
Romans sponsored the events to gain public prestige. Later, the cost was picked
up by the government to keep the people of the city in good spirits. Seating
at many of the events was segregated by social class. For example, at the Coliseum
seating was divided by classes. The Imperial court sat in the lower tier and
behind them sat the aristocratic families. The next set of seats were occupied
by the commoners. Finally, women were seated at the very top tier. From most
accounts, very few women attended the events.
City of Rome | Circus Maximus | Roman Coliseum | Coliseum #2 | Entertainment at Coliseum
Enterainment in Rome | Roman Forum | Roman Theaters
